CHC fits final piece of 'Dream'

21 Apr 2009

Cheetham Hill Construction has put in place the last piece of "Dream" a spectacular 20 metres high sculpture by internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa.

"Dream", which is individually fabricated in 90 unique panels of pre-cast concrete and takes the form of a girl"s head with her eyes closed, seemingly in a dream-like state is located on top of the former Sutton Manor Colliery, close to Junction 7 of the M62.

The sculpture is founded upon seven concrete piles bored through the colliery spoil heap to a depth of 38m. The base of the sculpture is bolted upon an in-situ concrete pile cap, which consists of nearly 100m3 of concrete. The 54 sculpture units of the head are bolted together both horizontally and vertically to form a structural unit, which is designed to withstand the high winds present on a site of this exposed nature.

The construction of this new sculpture commenced in March. The next step is to return the surrounding area back to its former natural environment ready for completion next month. "Dream" will be publicly launched on 31 May.